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Playing Cards
This is a collab between Buzzy and Silver. And yes, it is based off of a deck of playing cards. Some basic information Four main characters: Airwing - Ace of Spades - Buzzy Lightheart - Knave of Hearts - Silver Wolfmoon - Eight of Clubs - Silver Emeraldteva- Two of Diamonds - Buzzy Howlstorm - Discard - Buzzy The four clans and the rankings Clans: Heartsclan Diamondsclan Clubsclan Spadesclan Rankings: King (Leader, along with the Queen) Queen (Mate to the king and also leader) Ace (Usually this is at the bottom of a deck of cards, but in this fanfiction the Ace is third-highest in the clan, next in line to be leader, and kit of the King and Queen) Knave (The medicine cat. More commonly known as a Jack, but that sounds too Twoleggy) Ten (warrior, highest ranking) Nine (warrior) Eight (warrior) Seven (warrior) Six (warrior) Five (warrior) Four (warrior) Three (warrior) Two (warrior, lowest-ranking) Discards Discards are born or named with warrior names. They either come from a Discard family, or an abandoned kit from a Clan, since the only kit allowed in a clan is the Ace. Discards are the equivalent of Rogues or Loners, and have no marking symbolising their formal title. They can gain markings by being adopted into a clan when a cat dies. Markings On a playing card, you will see one or more of either a heart, diamond, club, or spade arranged in a pattern. The cats who belong in clans have a marking. Their marking depends on their clan and their position within it. The markings stay with clan cats for life. Chapter One ~ Howlstorm The sun was melting into the horizon as cats gathered to mourn. A grey shape lay unmoving before them, blood forming the cat's marking. The Three of Hearts. A cat from Heartsclan had been killed. From outside the camp, a group of Discards watched the cat's funeral. Two cats stood either side of their kits, a she-cat with dark brown fur, and a tom with a stormy grey pelt and darker tabby stripes. Between them was a small gaggle of kits, fidgeting around their brother: a large white tom with light brown tabby stripes, pale grey paws and tail tip, and hazel eyes. The mother of the family glared at her kits to silence them, and turned to her eldest son. "Are you sure, Howlstorm?" she asked. The tom continued to stare at the clan. "Becoming the Three of Hearts isn't going to give you a very pleasant life." A purr rumbled in the tom's throat. "Heartsclan is a bit too... soft for me." Howlstorm batted one of his siblings away. "Mother, I don't think this is the right time for me to recieve a marking." "Y- You don't have to," stammered the dark brown cat. "It's only a choice." Her mate pushed his way through the kits to be next to his son. "I was thinking of Spadesclan," he meowed. "Although there isn't an available place left, there is always time to wait." Howlstorm nodded, partly in agreement, partly in approval. "I would be happy for the time being if I was to remain a Discard. Like Tallstorm said, there is always time to wait." He nodded at his father. The mother closed her eyes. "Oh Howlstorm," she sighed. "You are my eldest son. We cannot survive with such a huge family. If you joined a clan, there would be less mouths to feed and a bigger chance of survival." "Also," squeaked one of Howlstorm's sisters. "We could all have more food!" Howlstorm looked at Rosedapple. Her bones were visible beneath her crimson pelt, and Howlstorm knew his younger sister was right. His family needed food, and fast. The sun was finally gone now, and the family stood watching the starry night sky. From inside the camp, cats started moving around, retiring to their dens for the night. "We should go," meowed Tallstorm quietly. "We'll discuss this tomorrow morning." Turning round to the direction of their den, Howlstorm and his family ran beneath the full moon to the border that Heartsclan shared with Diamondsclan. As they settled down into their dens, Howlstorm wondered about his future. Would he sacrifice himself for his family, or stay with them until the end? Chapter Two ~ Airwing :"Airwing, are you sure you want to hunt alone?" :Airwing sighed. This was the way it always was with her parents. :"Father, I'll be fine." Airwing protested, her pelt burning with annoyance. :"Not with those HeartsClan ruffians out there, you won't!" Her mother, the queen, said sharply. She almost sounded like she was scolding Airwing, her green eyes smoldering with a strong emotion. :"I'm a warrior now, Mother. I may be the Ace of Spades, but that doesn't change anything. I'm no better than a Two of Spades, really." Airwing said, trying to show her parents the absurdity of the whole argument. But the words did not fall in her favor, and maybe even worsened the situation. :"Don't be ridiculous!" the Queen of Spades snorted. "Airwing, you were born with royal blood. Can't you at least act dignified?" :The King of Spades stared hard at his mate. "Now, dear, there's no need to..." :"No need to what?" She said, sticking her nose in the air. "Remember what happened to Darkwing?" :Darkwing. Airwing's brother that she had never known. Airwing was told that Darkwing died mysteriously while hunting alone, and was found drenched in the scent of HeartsClan. :Why does my dead brother always have to ruin everything for me? she thought, bristling. :"She is a helpless child!" her mother continued. "She would never be able to defend herself from an enemy warrior!" :WHAT? I can defend myself perfectly fine! Airwing thought, flexing her claws. "Mother, I think you're..." :"What does it matter what you think? You obviously are not mature enough to have any say on this matter. I nearly fainted when you first asked me to hunt alone. Do you know what kind of danger lurks outside of your den? If you knew what it was like out there, you would be begging to stay inside the den with us!" The Queen of Spades fretted. :"Mother, you're just being plain silly! I can defend myself, and of course I don't know what it's like out there... because you NEVER give me a chance!" Airwing's patience ran out. :"That's quite enough out of you!" The King of Spades roared. "Where are your manners? You know better than to backtalk to your mother!" :Airwing suddenly felt very guilty, but her stubbornness wouldn't let her submit. "I don't care!" She growled. :"All right, that's enough!" her mother hissed. "Just for that, you are going to spend one half-moon in the unused den... and you will eat the scrawniest prey there is!" :"As if you think you're going to lock me up... hah!" Airwing hissed, tearing out of the den in fury before the King or the Queen had a chance to contradict her again. "I'm going to hunt alone whether you like it or not!" :Welcome to Airwing's controlled life of constant argument. Chapter Three ~ Emeraldteva "All the cat's gather at Diamonds' Rock!" Geostar, leader of DiamondsClan, meows. His mate, Rubystar, got up and padded up to him and stood beside him. The ace, Gemstone, stood in-between them. All the cats came out of the cave to gather around. As usual, Emeraldteva drooped at the back and last to get to the meeting. Mostly because all the cats purposely blocked his way. But at least his best she-cat friend, Sapphire-eyes, stood beside him. No one even liked Emeraldteva. Mostly because he was the lowest-ranked warrior. Not even his parents liked him when he was a discard. Even the King and Queen ignored him. But at least they didn't insult him and push him around. The one who was the meanest to him was the Ace, Gemstone, the King and Queen's kit. Because of him, everyone is mean to me. Mostly just 'following his lead' to mocking him. But Sapphire-eyes was the one who always defended Emeraldteva. Because of her, not many cats bug with me anymore. But when she's not with me, they always push Emeraldteva around. Because he was the 'lowest'. Number Two. Two Of Diamonds. Why did he have to even choose to come here. Oh yeah, because his mother made him. But luckily Sapphire-eyes went with him to comfort him. But the convenient thing is that every cat is in love with Sapphire-eyes. But she's friends with Emeraldteva. "Cats, all attention on me," Geostar demanded. Emeraldteva snapped to attention. "According to reportings, there's been stealings of our jewels at the ClubClan border. There were some scents there. One was un-identified and another ClubClan. We may have many, MANY, jewels, but these ones were very rare and very herbal too. We may need them someday." "So what is this about, then?" asked the Seven Of Diamonds, Bloodstone. I can't believe they aren't smart enough to see where this is going. He obviously is going to lead a raid on ClubClan to get our jewels back. And as usual, he will just let me stay behind to guard our precious herbs with the Knave, Moonsong. I'm a warrior, not some stupid Knave's apprentice. I may be the lowest warrior, the number two, but I am still powerful and a warrior! "We're going to raid ClubClan of course," meows Rubystar. "We will TAKE back the jewels that ClubClan has stolen from us!" Then Gemstone budded in. "And then steal some of their stuff to show them not to mess with us!" All the cats meowed loudly in agreement. Sapphire-eyes looked at Emeraldteva. "I'm guessing Geostar is going to make you stay back, huh?" Her sparkly blue eyes almost got him distracted. He snapped back to reality and looked at her. "Of course he is..." He droops his head. "Everyone hates me." "I don't hate you." Emeraldteva turned away and padded towards the tunnel. "That doesn't matter....I'm useless to this Clan...." Suddenly he noticed Geostar shout his name. Emeraldteva looked back. Geostar nodded his head towards the Jewelry Den. Emeraldteva walked over there in utter disappointment. Emeraldteva didn't see it, but he could feel Sapphire-eyes' eyes on him with sadness. . . . He could hear Geostar shout out to the cats to go. Emeraldteva heard the hard pounding footsteps charging towards ClubClan's camp. Emeraldteva wished he could have gone with them. He has learned plenty battle moves watching all the clans train. He had to train himself since no one else would, and got surprisingly good at it. Sapphire-eyes helped at least though. Emeraldteva wondered why Geostar even let him in this camp. "Hey, Emerald," Moonsong meows over to him, "you need to go to the entrance, you know?" Emeraldteva slowly padded over to the entrace. He could hear Moonsong even mutter, "Why did he have to let this stupid mole-brain guard me. I'd rather do it myself." Ugh, I wish I could just leave. Chapter Four ~ Wolfmoon Wolfmoon blinked open her eyes. She was in a forest, like the one where her clan, ClubsClan, lived in. "Starclan, what now?" she muttered. She was plunged into a dark dream. Wolfmoon stood in the center of her clan's camp. Around her, there were shadows..Shadows of another clan. In her camp, there were the bodies of Stormstar, the King, and there were others around him. This was an omen of bad things to come. But wait- Wolfmoon sat up with a start. Her silver-gray pelt was shining white. On her back haunches, there was a sign of a club and a number eight. She was the Eight of Clubs, one of the highest ranking members in ClubsClan . She smelled the marking of new jewels inside the camp. They smelled herbal and just like plain royalty. "Wolfmoon!" Oh no, she thought. It was Silverstar, Stormstar's mate and the Queen of ClubsClan. "What are you doing outside the warriors' den?" asked Silverstar. She was a fair-minded cat with a personality that could be one or another in an instant. "I was looking at the new jewels," Wolfmoon repiled, keeping her terror controlled. "Well, don't stay out long!" Silverstar paused. "Wait," she said. "Is that DiamondsClan I smell?" Wolfmoon turned just as the DiamondsClan warriors burst into the camp. "Wake the camp!" she yowled to Silverstar. Silverstar nodded and raced onto the BlackRock and called out, "Warriors of ClubsClan! DiamondClan has raided our camp! Warriors, ATTACK!" Nine warriors and Silverstar herslef lept into battle. Wolfmoon kept her eyes locked on Geostar, the King of DiamondsClan. She pinpointed his movements at let him come straight at her. As Geostar leaped, Wolfmoon leaped as well. He flew under the snarling shecat and Wolfmoon grabbed his shoulders with her front paws. She flipped on top of him and bit into his shoulders with a powerful bite. Geostar shreiked and rolled her onto the ground. Wolfmoon lept up,hissing in pain. She let herslef be thrown off and then leaped again, this time with much more force. She landed on top of Geostar with a huge thud. He wiggled under her weight, but she was heavy for a young shecat.. There was one thing that kept Geostar alive for another day. Wolfmoon let go of Geostar and swerved toward his neck. She stopped herself just before she killed him. "I'm showing you mercy," she whispered to Geostar. "Remember that!" All was quiet when she stepped off Geostar's back. "Leave, DiamondsClan!" she yowled with a note of trimphh in her tone. "Geostar has been badly wounded. Never forget that I was the strong one here!" Silverstar was watching Wolfmoon. "You stopped Geostar, Wolfmoon." she called Wolfmoon closed her eyes to let the cheers flood into her mind. "For this reason," Silverstar continued, "Wolfmoon should be honored for her strength! She deserves respect from all of you now, including myself and Stormstar. She has changed history with her actions, and we shall honor you in the stories of our kits and our kits' kits." Wolfmoon gazed up at Silverstar. She dipped her head and left the clearing, her pawsteps heavy with exhaustion. She closed her eyes and fell asleep. Chapter Five ~ Lightheart "Lightheart! Lightheart! We need you!" Lightheart was roused from his sleep by Beatstar, King of HeartsClan. "Lovestar is still sick!" Beatstar meowed with a tone of fear in his voice. "Calm down, Beatstar! She's already had a juniper berry and plenty of catnip!" Lightheart was not in the mood for Beatstar's fear over Lovestar. The Queen of Hearts was still sick with greencough. Most of the clan was also sick, but Lightheart's patients were over greencough quickly. Lovestar was the last one that was sick. "I'll go and get more catmint," Lightheart muttered to Beatstar. As he left the camp, he couldn't help but be fearful of Lovestar. The pale white shecat was nearing her last life. Soon she would join Starclan. Lightheart continued his trek towards the DiamondsClan border. His catmint supply was running low. A rustling in the bushes made him jump. Fox? he thought. "Hello?" he asked. With no reply, he continued toward the catmint supply. When he reached the Twoleg garden where the catmint was, he saw a shriveled, brown shape in the spot of his usual supply. "No! No, no. no, no, no!" Lightheart yowled. The catmint was dead. Lovestar would lose her eighth life. Lightheart started to panic and ran towards the DiamondsClan border. He plunged himself into DiamondsClan territory and didn't stop running until he was already asking for catmint. Chapter Six ~ Howlstorm Howlstorm raced towards his family's den. Water sprayed all over his paws, but he didn't care. Rosedapple was dying. Dying of hunger. His parents gave him a pleading look as he burst into the den. His younger sibling clustered around their paws as they always did, but this was not a time for fun and games. "You have to help her..." His mother's voice trailed off in sobs. Howlstorm sqeezed the moss and watched the water trickle into his sister's mouth. He wondered if it was enough to save her. He shook his head. No; nothing could save her now. "I can't save her," he told them firmly. "It's too late to do anything." "You have to!" screeched his mother. She was desperate. And she had every right to be. "Or I will no longer see you as my son." She snarled the last words. The words stung Howlstorm like a wasp. If he was no longer classified as Furzetail's son, he would be forced to join the clans, and be thrust into a world of strict organisation and rank. He didn't want that. "I can't save her!" Howlstorm's roar echoed throughout the forest. He turned his gaze to the slowly dying she-cat. Her heartbeat gradually slowed, until it beat no more. He turned to meet his mother's gaze. It was stone cold. "Go," she whispered. Her voice was toneless, dead. As dead as his sister. Tears pricked Howlstorm's eyes. He turned away from what used to be his family, and ran. Chapter Seven ~ Airwing Airwing scratched another line in the floor of the unused den. Yes. It's all coming together now. She wondered if observing the diagram from a greater hight would look more serious to her. She drew herself up to a sitting position and purred. She was finally able to escape. Her plan was somewhat simple: Silently create a hole wide enough for her to fit through in the back wall of the den. At midnight, escape and start running to the outer territories - where the Discards hunted. Her mother would scar her for interacting with those cats. Airwing sighed. It was worth the risk. Speaking of risks, however, there weer many to consider: A search party would be organised the minute she was discovered missing. Wars could break out over her disappearance. Spadesclan could fall apart. Airwing snorted. She didn't care. Her clan had made her life a misery, and she was about to be free. She stood up, and inhaled. Will this really work? ''She set her jaw in determination. ''It has to. She started to unweave the spindly twigs that formed the back den wall. She hummed a tune as she worked. "Airwing?" called a voice softly, "What are you doing?" Airing whipped around and snarled fiercely. Oh, just Tumblefoot, the shy Two of Spades. She smiled wickedly, and lunged for his throat. Blood trickled onto her teeth, causing her to become dizzy. Airwing backed away, horrified at what she had just done. She looked away, and hardebed her heart. Life's about to become a lot more dangerous. And I like it. Chapter Eight ~ Emeraldteva "What? You can't go!" Emeraldteva turned around to see Sapphire-eyes' pleading gaze. "I have no other choice." Emeraldteva stared into her blue eyes. "Then I'm coming with you." Sapphire-eyes thrust her way out of the Diamondsclan camp entrance. Emeraldteva shoved her to the ground. "You can't," he growled, hating himself for turning on her, "This clan needs you. They don't need me." "Then who will be the next Two of Diamonds?" Sapphire-eyes challenged him. "You have a purpose, Emeraldteva. Fulfil it." "Not anymore," Emeraldteva whispered. "I'll just let someone else take my place." "They can't," corrected Sapphire-eyes smugly, "You're stuck with that rank until you die." Emeraldteva shrieked with rage. "Why did I choose this stupid life?" And then he remembered: he was forced. Cats had kidnapped his sister, telling him to become the Two of Diamonds for his sister to stay alive. He accepted, but they killed her anyway. Discards, they were. He sheathed his claws in silent rage. One day I'll avenge you, sister. Sapphire-eyes sighed. "If that's what you really want, then fine." She stepped closer to Emeraldteva until they were touching noses. "I love you, Emeraldteva. And I'll never love anyone else." Emeraldteva stepped back. "And I love you too, Sapphire-eyes. I'll never forget you." Then he started running. Soon he noticed tears running down his face. Oh Sapphire-eyes, if only you could come with me. Chapter Nine ~ Wolfmoon Wolfmoon blinked open her eyes. Clubsclan was asleep. She had planned her escape moons ago. She hated her life. She didn't like any of the warriors, just Silverstar. No love-eyed toms in Clubsclan would make her happy. As she ran out of Clubsclan's camp, her pelt seemed to prick with the thought of a new arrival. A new scent wafted over her. A Discard was near. She couldn't tell who or what was near, but she unsehathed her claws, ready for something to leap out. The Discard leaped out. Wolfmoon leaped. She landed on her intruder's back. She used her ability and rolled him over. As she kept him down, about to sink her claws in, the intruder meowed, "Stop this." He had a cool voice with what seemed like almost lighter tone, as if he had fallen in love with Wolfmoon. He was pretty for a tom. He had a white pelt with light tabby stripes. His paws were a pale gray, matching Wolfmoon's pelt. His tail tip was also the pale gray. He had hazel brown eyes and a warm smile. "Hi. I'm Howlstorm," he said. Wolfmoon repiled, "I'm Wolfmoon." "Were you a discard? That's not a name I've seen!" Hwolstorm seemed to be watching her every move. Wolfmoon's eyes were soft as she looked at him. He's kind of..cute, she thought. "Your….Clubsclan," muttered Howlstorm, noticing the marking on her pelt. Wolfmoon whipped around. "I'm going to catch you some prey." Howlstorm's ribs seemed to show from his thin pelt. She started stalking a crow. As she leaped, she thought about Howlstorm. He seemed nice and pretty cool for a Discard. She took the crow back to Howlstorm. "Let's share the crow," she said. As they both settled down to eat the crow, she couldn't help but think, Are we ment to be with each other? Chapter Ten ~ Lightheart Lightheart shook himself. Why was he here? Lovestar. Beatstar's mate was still sick as far as he knew. He was in DiamondsClan. Here to get the catmint. He was about to enter the camp, but he stopped himself and turned to look for catmint back in his own territory. As he entered his own territory, he stopped when he heard a rustle. Discarded scent wafted over him, and Lightheart knew he wasn't alone out there. He waited and waited until... The yowls of horror and grief echoed through the air. Lightheart left into the bushes, anxious to find what was crying out. He emerged into a small hollow with a few cats inside, one lying still beside another's paws. Lightheart was shaking. This was a Discard den. Chapter Eleven ~ Howlstorm Howlstorm stumbled back as he recognised the face of the cat who had turned around. "F-father?" he stammered, "Where's mother? Has she gone hunting?" Tallstorm stepped aside, and made way for Howlstorm. On the floor lay Furzetail, his mother. "She died after losing you and Rosedapple," explained Tallstorm, his voice shaky. "Your siblings are dying too. I cannot save them." He turned to Howlstorm. "I'm joining the clans. Amd you're coming with me." He lunged at Howlstorm's neck, missing it my a whiskerlength. "You made them die! They're all dead because of you!" Howltorm desperately aimed a blow at his father's neck. He was insane. Anyone witnessing the deaths of their family would be. "I'm not joining a clan!" Howlstorm snarled. "What part of that do you not understand?" He swiped at Tallstorm's face, satisfied at how it had turned red so quickly. A reddish-brown blur slammed into Tallstorm, and Howlstorm caught a glimpse of the marking on the cat's forehead. Soon Howlstorm was being dragged away from the den. He noticed himself cross the Heartsclan border. "Take me to Clubsclan," Howlstorm ordered. The strange cat blinked. As he was a high ranking cat, the Knave of Hearts, Howlstorm was surprised the cat didn't do an indroduction. "I'm Lightheart," the cat meowed. "Why do you want to go to Clubsclan?" "None of your business," Howlstorm snarled. "Just take me there!" He stood up and shook out his fur. Lightheartt waited patiently beside him. "Let's go," Howlstorm said. I want to see Wolfmoon again, ''he thought, thinking of the pretty light grey she-cat he had encountered yesterday. Chapter Twelve ~ Airwing Airwing wighed up her options. She could become a discard, but discards were tough and hunting was scarce. Heartsclann wree too responsible and soft, Diamondsclan was a bit too corrupt, and might treat her like royalty. That left only Clubsclan. She evaluated the risks. She could be caught, killed, or distracted. She shrugged. At least she was outside. She ran to where the borders met, right in the centre of the territories. She cautiously stepped into Clubsclan territory. She felt happier now, with no more responsibility or the weight of the clan on her shoulders. And that's when she noticed the two cats: A discard and a Heartsclan cat. ''Today's becoming weirder and weirder, ''she thought. She padded up to them, completely forgetting her status and importance. The Heartsclan cat turned away from the conversation he was having with the discard. "You're Airwing, right? The Ace of Spades?" he meowed softly. "You're not supposed to be here." "Neither are both of you," Airing retorted. A wave of nervousness crashed over her. This cat knew who she was. Airwing collapsed to the ground, sobbing. Her plan had come this far, and now it had all failed at the last minute. Chapter Thirteen ~ Emeraldteva Emeraldteva wandered through endless woodland of the other territories. He sniffed the air. ''I must be in Spadesclan, ''he thought. He looked around him nervously. Minutes ago he had heard of the Ace of Spades being kidnapped. If he was found, he would be claimed to be her kidnapper and be sent to the camp for interrogation, or something. ''Gotta get out of here fast. He ran blindly through Spadesclan territory, slowing down as soon as he caught sight of the intersection of the four clans. Heartsclan: sickness. Spadesclan: Cathunt. Diamondsclan: I'm not going back there. Only Clubsclan was safe, and problem-free. He padded across the border tentatively, glancing around him for any signs of life. He walked casually on, his confidence boosting with each step. He spotted a patrol and ducked for safety. He raised his head and took a closer look. There were three cats: A large white tom with light brown tabby stripes and grey paws and tail tip, a reddish-brown tom with a marking on his forheadd of a weird cat thing, and the Ace of Spades. What in the world are they doing there? ''He came out of his hiding place and crept cautiously towards them. The Ace seemed to notice him first, and she hissed at him to go away. Emeraldteva drew himself up to his full height and walked closer. "I'm Emeraldteva from Diamondsclan." He didn't bother with an introduction, as everyone knew his rank. "Howlstorm," said the large tom formally. "Lightheart, Knave of Hearts," introduced the reddish-brown tom with a dip of his head. "You know my name," drawled the she-cat. "Well, everyone's looking for you," meowed Emeraldteva, "You might as well go back." She spat on the ground. "Never!" Lightheart looked at Emeraldteva with concern. "We ought to move to a safer place," he meowed. Howlstorm waved his tail. "We should sty here a bit longer. Besides, I'm waiting for someone." "Then so be it," Lightheart grunted. "I'm supposed to be collecting catmint anyway." He scouted the area for some. Emeraldteva saw his eyes lit up as the Knave spotted a patch by a tree. "I guess it was good to come here after all," he meowed. ''Yeah, ''thought Emeraldteva as he settled down by a tree. ''It's good to be free. Chapter Fourteen ~ Wolfmoon Wolfmoon blinked and quietly padded out of the ClubsClan warriors den. She had a love for the pale white tom, Howlstorm. But this time, she knew, would be different. She had been seeing Howlstorm more often now, and she shifted when her belly brushed the Seven of Clubs' ears. Wolfmoon was getting plump, and it seemed that today would be a brand new day. Despite being plump, her belly snarled with hunger. This was the reminderoff the prey shortage in Clubsclan. A sharp pain struck her belly suddenly, as though she was expecting kits. Wolfmoon heaved her very heavy body with little strength in her limbs. As she snuck out of camp, Howlstorm was there. Howlstorm, and many other cats. Reddish brown, creamy white, and what seemed like a grey-green surrounded Howlstorm. Wolfmoon felt her legs tremble and her belly swung, clearly giving away the fact that she was plump. Her legs started to give way, and Howlstorm ran over to Wolfmoon, his eyes troubled. "Why are you so plump?" he whispered. Wolfmoon felt anguish strike her mind as she watched Howlstorm lower her to the ground. Howlstorm quickly introduced the other cats: Lightheart, the Kanve of Hearts, Airwing, the Ace of Spades, and Emeraldteva, the Two of Diamonds. Lightheart ran over to Wolfmoon with worry in his eyes. "Wolfmoon, is it? I'm Lightheart." Lightheart messaged his paws over Wolfmoon's belly. "Howlstorm, I have some news. Wolfmoon is expecting kits." Wolfmoon was nervous. The thing she doubted so much was true. She was expecting Howlstorm's kits! Chapter Fifteen ~ Lightheart Lightheart turned back to the shecat's belly. "Wolfmoon," he whispered in her ear, "I have to take some catmint back to Heartsclan. Stay here." Wolfmoon nodded, her eyes showing no interest in following him. Lightheart picked up his bundle of catmint he had gotten while waiting for Wolfmoon. He walked back over the HearTuscan border and walked into the camp. "WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?" Beatstar was on Lightheart in an instant. "Lovestar lost another life! She's still sick!" he yowled. Lightheart continued off to Lovestar with the catmint. He watched the pale pink-gray shecat writh in a spurt of coughing and be still for a moment, her chest still rising and falling. He stuffed the catmint in the shecat's mouth and she stopeed moving. Lovestar was alive, but she seemed to keep at her cough. After waiting for several moments, Lightheart finally excused himself and ran back to Howlstorm and Wolfmoon. But when he got to Wolfmoon, something was happening. Wolfmoon was groaning. Groaning in a hurtful way. Even though Lightheart didn't know how long her kits were due, he ran to Wolfmoon, eager to calm her groaning. He messaged her belly once more and she panted with relief. "Lightheart, the kits... The kits are coming soon. I know it!" Wolfmoon meowed. Her voice was scared and tired, and her eyes showed pain and new hunger. Wolfmoon's belly growled, and it seemed Starclan had given Lightheart the ability to hear the kits moaning. They howled and whined, and, knowing only prey would save them, Lightheart ordered Howlstorm to hunt while he treated Wolfmoon. Lightheart was plunged into a vision. He was almost felt an emptiness. Like something was missing. But the emptiness was hunger. Hunger struck his belly, intense and hard. Lightheart felt as though he would die of hunger. It was Wolfmoon's hunger he felt. Wolfmoon's sigh of relief brought Lightheart out of his dark thoughts. "Wolfmoon," he asked, "have you been neglected in prey?" Wolfmoon replied, "I have known for a half moon that Clubsclan was short of prey. I was the one who never got the prey. Even the Two got his share! But no, it seemed my deed for Clubsclan was forgotten in the prey shortage. I was left with one meal a day, and that was usually just leftover scraps. I kept meeting Howlstorm, despite my hungry belly. I went hungry nearly everyday, and when my belly grew and swelled, they thoguht I ate more than them! Those cowards never heard my belly growl, nor heard my screams of pain as it crippled my body." "I let out my screams of pain and my gigantic belly growls in front of Howlstorm and Howlstorm only. He is the only one who knows my pain." Lightheart continued to message her belly with new strength. Howlstorm burst through the bushes carrying a blackbird and a rabbit on his back. Wolfmoon scarfed them down in a few hungry gulps, then she lay still, the rising and falling of her chest the only thing that let Lightheart know she was alive. Wolfmoon was sleeping. Lightheart was plunged into something else. He was watching Wolfmoon sitting with Howlstorm. They were sharing tounges with great intrest in their eyes. Wolfmoon's belly growled a little, but Howlstorm never seemed to mind at all. Then, he watched Wolfmoon's belly grow a little, and then it was normal sized. It was showing how she would recover. Lightheart smiled, and Wolfmoon was silent. Airwing emerged from the bushes with moss in her jaws. She set it out and curled up on some of it. She was asleep within a moment. As the others settled down, Lightheart picked up Wolfmoon and dragged her towards the moss. Howlstorm leaped up to help him, and the two toms set the shecat down on the moss. They both curled up on the moss and fell asleep. Chapter Sixteen ~ Howlstorm Howlstorm gazed in amazement at the four kits by Wolfmoon's belly. "What shall we name them?" she asked. "How about Heartkit, Spadekit, Clubkit, and Diamondkit?" suggested Lightheart. "After the four clans?" Airwing spat bitterly. "I would not want a kit named aferr the clan that treated me badly!" Lightheart hissed back at her. "It would be an honourable thing to do!" he agrued. Emeraldteva stepped between them. "We should all name a kit each," he meowed. He turned to Wolfmoon. "Is it okay if you don't choose a name?" Wolfmoon purred. "I'm sure you'll pick wonderful names." Howlstorm looked at his kits colsely: One was a white she-cat with brown spots, another was a pale grey she-cat, the third was a small and black tom, and the final one was a bluish-grey she-cat. "Sapphire-eyes," Howlstorm heard Emeraldteva murmur. The greenish-grey tom bent down and gently opened an eye of the bluish-grey kit. He gasped. "I want to name this one Sapphireheart, in honour of my best friend Sapphire-eyes." "Good choice," nodded Howlstorm. "I wish to name the spotted one Dappleflower, after my dead sister Rosedapple." Airwing hesitated. "How about Freebird, for the small black tom? For my freedom. I'm never going back to Spadesclan," she growled. Lightheart shook his head. "I'm never going to see these kits. I'd like to give my naming opportunity to Wolfmoon." The kits' mother blinked in surprise. "Wolfstorm for the grey she-cat, after her parents," she purred. Howlstorm purred. "I guess you'd better go back to your clans now," he meowed to the other cats. "Including you, Wolfmoon." he nodded towards his mate. "No. My heart is with you, Howlstorm. I can't leave you. We must raise our kits together. I'm leaving Clubsclan to live with you." She pressed her muzzle against Howlstorm's paw. Airwing stepped forwards. "I named Freebird after my freedom. I am a free cat now. I will never return to Spadesclan." She padded lightly to stand beside Wolfmoon and her kits. "I'm coming with you." Howlstorm turnedd towards Emeraldteva. "What's your choice?" he asked the Diamondsclan warrior softly. "I, too, cannot return to my clan. I'm not needed there. Sapphireheart is all I have left to live for. I will miss Sapphire-eyes, but my heart is with you and your kits." He steadily made his way to stand beside Airwing. Lightheart bowedd his head. "My loyalty is to my clan, and my clan alone. I'll miss you." He touched noses with each cat in turn, and padded off to Heartsclan. "So we're a group now?" Howlstorm asked the cats around him. "We're a group now," they echoed. Howlstorm nodded his head. "Then lets go." "Where?" asked Wolfmoon from below. Howlstorm shrugged. "Anywhere, I guess. I've always wanted to explore beyond the territories." Wolfmoon purred. "Let's go then." She picked up a kit, and the others did the same. Beside him, Airwing quivered with excitement. "I'm free at last!" she meowed through a mouthful of fur. Howlstorm purred in amusement. Together, they would have the adventure of a lifetime. Howlstorm couldn't be happier. The end.